So I have another randoms subject to talk about, this one doesn't have that much to do with gaming but is more just about american culture. I'm a classical musician and I've studied at a conservatory the last four years that is mostly foriegn...actually predominatly russian and latvian students. So i've become very used to the way that Europeans act, and since I do live in the US I do understand this culture to (for the most part, It still stumps me sometimes) So this is about touching. Americans walk around with a huge bubble around themselves, touching is rarely used it seems. For example: my relatives came to visit, and my Chilean uncle came up to my sister and said "how about a big kiss for your uncle" My sister looked horrified and took a step away! She didn't even want to hug him. He of course grabbed her in a hug anyways and then moved on to me. I gave him a kiss on the cheek, because thats no big deal after all. I confronted my sister about it later, and she said that kissing her uncle was just weird. She didn't even like to kiss our dad. (I don't blame her he's kinda stinky) but I put up with it.

The only time that Americans are absolutely fine with touching is when they're dating someone, and then the are all over eachother. Its kinda gross how much they touch in public. I can say I'm mildly guilty of this, though I wouldn't stand for a lot of the stuff that I observe from horrified eyes at restraunts and the like. The was we show who's our territory is by holding hands and the like, and thats fine. But if two guys hold hands as friends, oh well all hell rains down. Americans are so homophobic its funny. In countries like Saudi Arabia, men hold hands as a sign of friendship. Here you'd probably get beaten to a bloody pulp and killed. Girls sometimes link arms and a little more touching is allowed, but in general people call you a lesbian if you're cuddly with your friend. Once again, in Europe you hold hands with your friends, as well as with your siblings. I guess i'm just a social reject in america, but I ignore these rules. I hold hands with my friends that are girls...big deal?

More little things you might or might not have known about European culture. When counting on their hands, one is your thumb instead of you pointer finger. So if you counted to three on your fingers the american way, they would think you meant four. That took a while for me to get used to, and still sometimes I mess it up. Also, when they eat, they keep their knife in their right hand and their fork in their left, where here you're supposed to set down the knife and switch the fork to the right hand, and you only cut one piece at a time. and they use their knife to push food onto their fork.

And that is all. By the way I had some coffee today, and I enjoyed it greatly. (read my other blog to find out what i mean)